Declining Numbers

Last week was the first week of high school girls basketball practice in Iowa-a time that should be celebrated throughout the state-but unfortunately, much of the talk around the state was about the number of schools who are not planning to have a varsity girls basketball team this year-at least 5 that I am aware of. Jeff Linder with the Cedar Rapids Gazette did an online poll asking for how many players schools had out for girls basketball. The numbers were quite shocking-there were some in the 20’s and lower 30’s, but most were under 20 and an alarming number were under 10. Many of those schools said the majority of the kids they had out were freshmen or sophomores, which make it harder to compete at a higher level. This declining number trend for girls basketball has been occuring for the last number of years but seems to be at the worst level this year.

Unfortunately, girls basketball isn’t the only sport that is seeing declining numbers: football, baseball, and softball are seeing the same results in a number of areas of the state. We are seeing this across the country as well. According to data from Project Play and the Aspen Institute, core sports participation-meaning playing on a sports team on a regular basis-for youth ages 6-17 declined 6% between 2019 and 2022. That translates to 1.2 million fewer youth regularly playing team sports, according to data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. For older youth ages 13-17, total and core participation from 2019 to 2022 decreased by 7% and 6%, respectively. All of these are very discouraging numbers as we all know the tremendous benefits of participating in team sports.

There are a number of reasons for the declining numbers in team sports, particularly girls basketball, and I don’t want to take time to talk about that. I want to look at what can be done to increase numbers in all activities with basketball being an emphasis.

• DISCOURAGE SPECIALIZATION: Most sports have seen a large increase in AAU/Club offerings. In general, these activities are positive in building skills in players and allowing them opportunities to be seen by college coaches. However, when kids are told “focus on AAU and forget other sports” by parents or other coaches, the wrong message is going out and needs to be stopped. Coaches and parents should work together to let kids know it’s ok to do it all and not be punished when conflicts occur. Conflict hurts everyone in this situation: work together, put together a plan, and let kids be a part of everything they can!

• MINIMIZE COSTS OF PARTICIPATION: Participating in activities continues to be very spendy-from shoes, practice apparel, traveling to games, etc….if a family can’t afford it, they are more likely to not play. This is especially true with AAU and can create a “have vs have not” reality and keep kids from participating.

• ALLOW YOUNGER PLAYERS TO PLAY AT OLDER LEVELS: One concern for high school coaches is their middle school program and making sure those players are getting quality coaching and ready and willing to participate in high school sports. One thing that Minnesota allows that I wish Iowa would do is allowing middle school athletes to play with the high school team. Girls tend to mature faster physically than boys so playing with and against older players is not a large disadvantage. The social aspect is a bit concerning, but proper team building and culture by the coaches can create a great environment and experience for all players. There could still be middle school basketball for girls who don’t want to move up to high school yet and this would allow them to play at levels that fit their ability. Giving families some choice at the middle school level should allow more participation overall.

• ADJUST RULES AND EQUIPMENT FOR YOUNGER PLAYERS: This is more for basketball as other sports adjust rules-for example, volleyball uses a lower net and a smaller ball for elementary kids, soccer shortens the field, football plays flag football, etc. If basketball lowered the rims for elementary, used a bit smaller ball, and focused on skills and not wins, kids would have more success and be more willing to stick with it. Lowering rims on old hoops is a challenge but would make a huge difference as many young girls have to throw the ball at the basket now which teaches them bad habits and makes for not much fun games with not much scoring taking place.

• UTILIZE CURRENT SPORTS STARS TO PROMOTE PARTICIPATION: The popularity of Caitlin Clark is beyond debate. Her impact on young ladies is undeniable. Will we see a rise in numbers because of this? I don’t think that is guaranteed but even more of a promotional program using CC would be great. All 2nd graders in the state are being given a book about her-a great start-but some promotional videos available to schools or her being vocal in the media would help, as would other well known college or professional players providing their support.

  Ultimately, there isn’t a magic fix for declining numbers but it starts with parents/families and coaches supporting the need for multisport athletes. Youth gain so much from working with numerous teammates and coaches and end up supporting friends/teammates who may love another sport more than their friend’s favorite, but can make the experience better by participating. We must continue to look for ways to increase participation across the board. One of the things I am working on in my new role with the IGCA mentoring program is that we will be surveying all girls basketball coaches across the state to see what is working for them with regards to numbers and what challenges are they facing. Sharing what is working other places can provide a possible spark for other schools to possibly make a difference.

What have you seen that works in increasing participation at your school? What obstacles are you seeing? I would love to hear from you. Have a great week!

Coach K